Chapter 2 - Shadows of the BoardroomThe emergency room was a swirl of sterile lights, cold air, and chaotic murmurs. While the doctors examined Valentina's severely sprained ankle and bandaged her bruises, Diego remained in the waiting room with Sofia. He refused to leave until he was certain she was safe.
Valentina lay on the gurney, staring at the tiled ceiling as clarity slowly returned. Her physical pain was manageable, but the internal storm raged on. Hours before her mugging, the board of directors at Farmacéutica Azteca had launched a hostile takeover. Rodrigo Vance, her vice president and former fiancé, had orchestrated a smear campaign claiming she had misappropriated corporate funds.
She had left the high-rise office in a rage, refusing her personal security detail to take a walk and clear her head—a disastrous decision that led her straight into the dark alley and the waiting muggers.
When Diego was finally allowed into the treatment bay, he carried a warm paper cup of tea. "The doctor said nothing is broken," he said softly, handing her the tea. "Just a severe sprain."
Valentina looked at him properly for the first time. He had sharp, kind features, rugged dark hair, and deep brown eyes that carried a quiet strength. He wore a simple security guard uniform under his damp shirt.
"Thank you, Diego," she said, her voice genuine. "For everything. I need to make a phone call, but I don't remember my executive assistant's personal number."
"You can use my phone as long as you need," Diego said, placing the device on her bedside tray.
Instead of calling her company, Valentina called her trusted legal advisor, Mateo, on his private line. When Mateo answered, his relief was palpable. "Valentina! Where are you? Rodrigo announced to the press that you vanished to escape the audit!"
"I was attacked, Mateo," she stated coldly, her corporate persona reassembling itself like armor. "Rodrigo set me up. I need you to secure my personal accounts and meet me quietly."
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After ending the call, Valentina looked at Diego and Sofia, who was fast asleep in an armchair. "Diego... I cannot go back to my penthouse tonight. Rodrigo has guards posted there under the guise of 'protecting company assets.' I need a place to hide for twenty-four hours until Mateo prepares my defense."
Diego hesitated, looking at his sleeping daughter, then back at the helpless yet formidable woman before him. "It’s a tiny two-bedroom apartment," he said humbly. "It's not where someone like you belongs. But you'll be safe."
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